User blog:Kiwi tea/Review: Los Aniegos by Coasterboi
Los Aniegos Specs *108.23mb *164 lots *Pre-populated with 125 Sims. *For: WA/Amb/LN Overview Los Aniegos is by far the most detailed, complete, and technically impressive world for The Sims 3 that I've seen to date. It is huge, with lots of different boroughs, and it features 125 premade Sims. It was clearly an enormous amount of work for its creator Coasterboi, who only began the world in September 2010! The short creation time might go some way to explaining the lack of flavour texts throughout the world, but they are really the only thing lacking if you have a high end machine and want to play an amazing world. If you don't have a great computer you may be able to run this world with lowered settings, it's definitely worth downloading and trying. Among the most impressive of Coasterboi's achievements are the carefully sculpted, winding roads. The texture selection is realistic and beautiful, and combines well with weather effects like fog. I particularly liked the way the sun in Los Aniegos is realistically small, as opposed to the huge platters in the sky of some worlds (including, admittedly, some of my own). The Sims are all well done, but they lack the meaningful attachment that flavour texts can bring. Who are these people? Sure, I can give them my own stories, but I quite like jumping into a world that is pre-existing, and that's not what this felt like. It's like they're just there to provide plentiful non-EA genetics, rather than to be their own characters. Still, the world is a masterpiece. On to the screenshots: Features Showcase LosAniegos1.jpg|Coasterboi has given this world a truly urban, heated feel. EA's skyscrapers blend perfectly with the ConstrainFloorElevation false skyscrapers. LosAniegos2.jpg|I would have gone crazy trying to get this part of the world right. Kudos to Coasterboi for nailing it perfectly! LosAniegos3.jpg|The big, crooked letters of the HILLWOOD sign suit the city perfectly. LosAniegos4.jpg|The road textures vary widely and brilliantly. The way the two cliffside roads swerve in the distance is wonderful. LosAniegos5.jpg|Some of the Sims in the this world seem to have rather enormous cleavage which does detract from the sheer realism of the world. Still, they're all very well-made Sims. LosAniegos6.jpg|Coasterboi has made creative use of CAW assets by sinking them into the ground to change their dimensions and use. LosAniegos7.jpg|You won't notice unless you go looking for it, but the edges of the world are visible in map view. Not a big issue at all. LosAniegos8.jpg|A lovely island with a sailing boat off the shore. LosAniegos9.jpg|Desert Springs Country Club Ratings ;Terrain - 10/10 Brilliant terrains, both fantastic painting and some extremely impressive sculpting. This world is beautiful. ;Lots - 10/10 The amount of time Coasterboi must have taken building these wonderful urban lots boggles the mind. ;Sims - 6/10 The Sims are made well, not pudding-faced, and have some great names (like celebrity D. Piddy). Unfortunately they all lack flavour texts, which is a great shame. Each of these Sims deserves a story or introduction. ;Playability - 8/10 This world played well provided high detailed lots was set to 1. Otherwise I tended to wait around for textures to load. It is extremely detailed and not remotely optimised for lower end machines. Only Simmers with computers on the higher end of the spectrum will be able to enjoy this world. ;Flavour Texts - 3/10 There was no text for the world itself, and only community lots had descriptions. The community lot descriptions are witty and well written, which makes the lack of description texts for families, residential lots and Sims a mystery. This was, to be honest, the biggest let down in an otherwise perfect world. Download Los Aniegos on the official Sims 3 Exchange. Category:Reviews Category:Blog posts